Fluid handling means



July 8, 1958 B. DUVAL ETAL v 2,842,291

FLUID HANDLING MEANS Filed May 28, 1956 rInnlpnrlnadiit'lilllll il:

IN VENT R BRUCE DUVAL s. ROGOR s. WADDINGTON wmiu A Item eyS.

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FLUID HANDLING MEANS W Bruce Duval, Ewell, and Roger Strange Waddington, Epsom, England Application May 23, 1956, Serial No. 587,868 Claims priority, application Great Britain June I, 1955 11 Claims. (Cl. 222-332) The present invention relates to fluid-handling means and has for an object the provision of an improved device for withdrawing a liquid from a container.

We have already described in the specification of our British Patent No. 718,897 a device for withdrawing a liquid from a closed container, said device enabling liquid to be withdrawn from the container in a smooth continuous flow while enabling air to flow back into the container to replace withdrawn liquid.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for withdrawing a liquid from a container which device comprises a tubular body part adapted to be moved in reciprocal motion forwardly and rearwardly through a sealing'member in a neck or other orifice formed in the container, abutments spaced apart along the length of the body part for defining limits for said reciprocal motion, a liquid inlet port to said body part, a liquid outlet port formed through the longitudinal wall of said body part, a manually-operable valve associated with a liquid port, an airreservoir located within and partitioned off from the remainder of said body part, an air inlet port formed through the longitudinal wall of said body part and communicating with said air reservoir and an air outlet port leading from the air reservoir to communicate with the exterior of the body part via the liquid inlet port and/or through the remainder of the body part, the air inlet port and the liquid outlet port being positioned forwardly of one of the abutments, the liquid inletport being positioned forwardly of the liquid outlet port, the air outlet port being positioned to lie, when the device is oriented horizontally with the liquid outlet port directed downwardly, above the level of the liquid outlet port. The term forwardly is used herein to define a direction given with respect to the user of the device and means a direction along the longitudinal axis of :the device towards that end thereof which is intended to be within the container, that is, the direction in which a user would push the device and the term rearwardly means the opposite direction, that is, the direction in which the user would pull the device.

The said manually-operable valve may be associated either with the liquid inlet port or with the liquid outlet port.#

The said device not only enables liquid to be withdrawn from a container while simultaneously allowing air to pass back into the container in a smooth flow, but; where the liquid inlet port is controlled by said manually-operable valve, it also enables the liquid to be withdrawn in small increments of substantiallyconstant volume. With the body part pushed forwardly as far as it will go into the'container, i. e. with the said one of the abutments in contact with the walls of the vessel or of a sealing means therefor, e. g. a rubber gland, none of the ports is exposed to the atmosphere; no liquid or air-can therefore pass through the device.

Itis preferred that the cross-sectional area of the air outletport be smaller than that of the air inlet port and 2,842,291 Patented July 8, 1958 smaller than the cross-sectional area, taken perpendicularly to the direction of air-flow, of the air reservoir. This arrangement is found to be conducive to a smooth liquid flow. Departures from this arrangement tend to render the liquid flow cyclic.

In the case where the liquid inlet port is controlled by the manually-operable valve and the air outlet port communicates with the exterior of the body part via the valved liquid inlet port, the device is simple to operate. When the device is withdrawn from the container, i. e. is pulled rearwardly, so that both the liquid outlet only exists when the valved liquid inlet port is opened,

consequently a fixed quantity of liquid can be withdrawn from the container by first pushing the device forwardly so that the liquid outlet'port and the air inlet port are out of communication with the atmosphere, opening the valved liquid inlet port until the tubular body part is filled with liquid, closing the valved liquid inlet port and then pulling the device rearwardly, thereby placing the liquid outlet port and the air inlet port in communication with the atmosphere. If desired, the valved liquid inlet port may be opened with the device withdrawn rearwardly whereby a continuous flow of air and liquid is obtained.

It is preferred, in accordance with a feature of the invention, to render the filling and emptying of the'tubular body'part entirely'automa'tic on reciprocating the device for incremental liquid withdrawal. Automatic operation is, for example, achieved when the air outlet port communicates with the exterior of the tube via the valved liquid inlet port, the tubular body part is provided with a sleeve having a close sliding fitthereover and through which the body part is adapted to move in said reciprocal motion and, being of suificient length to cover the air inlet port and the liquid outlet port when its rear end contacts said one of the abutments, but of insuflicient length to cover them at all positions on the reciprocal motion of the body part, and the tubular body part is further provided with at least one additional liquid inlet port so positioned as to be uncovered by the sleeve only when the liquid outlet port and the air inlet port are both covered thereby. As will be appreciated, the addi- .tities of liquid can be withdrawn from the container merely by reciprocating the tube, there being no necessity to perform special manual operations to open and close a liquid inlet port at appropriate stages of the cycle.

The sleeve (which may conveniently be formed of resilient material e. g. polythene or a natural or synthetic elastomer) and the tubular body part are preferably together adapted to constitute a closure for the neck-of, or another orifice in, a container.

In another embodiment of the device, it is the liquid outlet valve which is valved and'in the preferred form of this embodiment, the body part is formed with an opening at the forward part constituting the liquid inlet port, the liquid outlet and air inlet ports being provided by asingle opening formed, towards the rearward end of the tubular body part, in the side wall of the tubular body part. The rearward end of the tubular body part is closed by an'end wall and the air reservoir is defined by the said end wall and by the rearward surface of a piston which is disposed within the tubular body part. This piston is mounted upon a stem, which extends through a hole in the end wall of the tubular body part, by means-of which the piston can be moved forwardly to'a position in which it seals off the combined liquid outlet and air inlet port from the forward part of the device.

The piston is formed with a hole near the periphery thereof which constitutes the air outlet port from the air reservoir. The piston is disposed in the tubular body part with the hole in a position diametrically opposed to the combined liquid outlet and air inlet port and a valve is provided for the air outlet port to close the port when the piston is in the forward position. The valve is in the form of a conical valve member, adapted to seat in and seal the air outlet port in the piston, which is mounted upon a rod extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the body part and fixed in the end wall of the tubular body part, the rod extending through the hole in the piston with the conical valve member at the forward end thereof.

The conical valve member, which is preferably slidably mounted on the rod and spring-pressed rearwardly there on, is so positioned that on rearward movement of the piston, the air outlet port is opened simultaneously with the opening of the combined liquid outlet and air inlet port or, perhaps more advantageously, slightly after the piston has opened the said port.

The shape of the forward edge of the combined liquid outlet and air inlet port may be such as to provide for a very gradual opening thereof on rearward movement of the piston for example, the said opening may be V-shaped with the apex pointing forwardly, or it may be provided with a straight edge extending circumferentially of the tubular body part to allow of a more rapid initial flow of liquid. The extent of rearward movement of the piston, which constitutes a movable partition between the air reservoir and the remainder of the tubular body part, is limited so that there is a predetermined minimum volume for the air reservoir.

The tubular body part is formed with abutments thereon to limit the extent of reciprocable movement thereof in a gland or sealing member so that the device may be pushed forwardly into a container in which it is mounted to act as a closure member therefor or pulled rearwardly out of the container to a position in which the combined liquid outlet and air inlet port is disposed wholly outside the container, in which position the flow of liquid from the container is controllable at will by movement of the piston.

The air entering the tubular body part of the device from the air reservoir may escape into the container through the end opening which constitutes the liquid inlet port or a hole may be formed in the side wall of the tubular part at a point slightly rearwardly of the open.

end thereof.

The device will further be understood from the following description of specific embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows in longitudinal cross-section the most preferred form of the device;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the same embodiment taken at line II-H of Figure 1, the sleeve being removed;

Figure 3 is another cross-section of the same embodiment taken at line III-III of Figure 1, the sleeve being removed;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-section of an embodiment in which the liquid outlet port is valved;

Figure 5 is the device of Figure 4 showing the liquid outlet port partly opened, and

Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-section of a form of the device in which the air chamber is arranged coaxially with the remainder of the tubular body part.

The embodiment shown in Figure 1 consists of a polythene tube 1 formed with a pair of abutments 2 and 3. At one end, the tube is closed by a thick end wall 4 in which is cut an air reservoir 5 in the form of a deep V-shaped slot open to the circumferential surface of the tube to provide an air inlet port 6. Through the thick end wall 4 are formed two coaxial holes 7 and 8 adapted to receive the stern of a valve, later referred to, which extends through the air reservoir 5. In the forward wall of the air reservoir and towards the apex thereof is a further hole 3 which constitutes the air outlet port from the air reservoir. At the opposite end, the tube is formed with a frusto-conical seating surface 9 in which there can be seated a valve-disc 10 formed at its periphery with a seating surface corresponding in contour with the frustoconical seating 9 provided on the tube. A lower skirt segment 11 and an upper skirt segment 12 (formed with an aperture 13) are provided on the valve-disc and serve for guiding and locating the said valve-disc 10.

Adjacent to the end wall 4 of the tube is formed a liquid outlet port 14- and at a position longitudinally forwardly displaced from the liquid outlet port 14 are provided three additional liquid inlet ports 15, 16 and 17 Whose centres lie substantially in the same transverse plane of the tube. A polythene rod 18, screwed through the centre of the valve-disc 10, passes axially through the tube, through the hole 8 and through the hole 7, which hole is closed by a rubber disc-gland 19 retained in position by a conical spring 20 which bears upon a button 21 provided at the end of the rod and thus biases the valve-disc 10 to the closed position.

For holding the tube in reciprocable but fluid-tight relationship with the mouth of a container there is provided a sleeve 22, formed of rubber, having an exterior diameter such that it can be accommodated within and seal the neck of the container and having an internal diameter such as to provide a close sliding fit upon the outer surface of the portion of the tube lying between the abutments 2 and 3. At its forward end, the sleeve 22 isformed with an integral raised rim 23 and at its rearward end with a larger integral raised rim 24 formed at its periphery with a drip edge 25.

In use, the device shown in Figure 1 is pushed through the neck of a container, the length of whose neck is substantially equal to the distance between the rims 23 and 24 of the sleeve. the neck and expands inside the container thereby preventing easy withdrawal of the sleeve. With the com tainer placed so that the axis of the tube 1 is horizontal and with liquid in the container having its surface above the top of the neck and with the device pushed forwardly into the container as far as it will go, i. e. with the rim 24 of the sleeve in contact with the abutment 3, so that,

with respect to the tube, the sleeve occupies the position where it is shown in broken lines at 25 the air inlet port 6 and the liquid outlet port 14 lie within the sleeve and are in communication neither with the atmosphere nor with the liquid within the container. The additional liquid inlet ports 15, 16 and 17 are, however, all in communication with the liquid so that liquid may enter and fill the interior of the device. The air within the tube escapes via the ports 16 and 17. If the tube is then pulled rearwardly so that rim 23 contacts radial abutment 2, liquid can drain out through outlet port 14 provided that the liquid outlet port is directed downwardly. If it is directed upwardly, the tube 1 can be rotated until the port is directed downwardly. As in this relative position of the tube 1 and the sleeve 22 the additional liquid inlet ports 15, 16 and 17 are covered by the sleeve no further liquid can reach the interior of the tube to escape from the liquid outlet port 14. The volume of the air reservoir 5 being comparatively small, any liquid which may i have entered thereinto is also small and does not materially influence the volume of liquid withdrawn from the container. As the air inlet port 6 and the liquid outlet port 14 are close together any liquid emerging Thus the rim 23 passes right through from the air inlet port 6 is readily caught together with the liquid from the liquid outlet port 14. If, while the tube is in this withdrawn position, the button 21 is pressed, the valve-disc 10 is moved away from the forward end of the tube so that liquid can enter the interior of the device and flow continuously to and through the liquid outlet port 14. Atthe same time, air can enter the air reservoir 5 and pass through the air outlet port 8 rise upwardly inside the tube, pass inwardly along the upper part of the tube 1 and finally emerge as a stream passing upwardly through the liquid in the container. The skirt portion 12 provided on the valve-disc, besides locating the valve-disc 10, also serves to prevent rapidly moving liquid coming into contact with the stream of air and is therefore conducive to smoother functioning of the device. The fiow of liquid (and of air) is easily controlled by controlling the amount of movement of the button 21. Furthermore, without reciprocating the tube, the flow of liquid may be stopped or started whenever required by releasing or pressing the button 21. Furthermore, if liquid has been delivered with the valved liquid inlet port closed, the liquid outlet port must be directed downwardly, consequently there is no tendency, if the contents of the can are under pressure, for a stream of liquid to be shot upwardly. I

In the embodiment of the device shown in Figures 4 and 5 there is provided a tube 401 which is formed with a circumferential rib 402 constituting an abutment disposed along the length of the tube and with a second circumferential rib 403 disposed at the rearward end of the tube constituting a second abutment. The rearward end of the tube is closed by an end plate 404 and forwardly of that end plate is constituted the air reservoir 405. The dimensions of the air reservoir 405 are determined on the one side by the end wall 404 of the tube and on the other side by a piston 410 later to be described.

Formed in the side wall of the tube is a port indicated by the combined references 406 and 414 since this port fulfils the dual purpose of being a liquid outlet port and an air inlet port and functions as hereinafter described.

In the end wall 404 of the tube there is formed a hole 407 through which passes a stem on the forward end of which is mounted the piston 410; at the rearward end of the stem 418 a knob 421 is provided whereby the movement of the piston 410 is effected.

The piston 410 is formed with a hole near its periphery and the piston is positioned within the tube 401 in such a manner that the hole 408 is disposed diametrically opposite to the combined liquid outlet port and air inlet port 406, 414.

Mounted on the front wall 404 is a rod 427 on the forward end of which is mounted a conical valve member 426, the apex of which points rearwardly for engagement with the hole 408 in the piston 410. The conical member 416 is mounted slidably on the rod 427 and is spring-urged rearwardly so as to engage in both air-tight and liquid-tight manner with the hole 408.

The forward end of the tube 401 is open at 428 and an air port 429 is formed in the tube 401 near the forward end thereof at a position dimetrically opposed to the combined port 406, 414.

The device is mounted in the wall of the container and is retained in position therein by means of a gland member 422 formed as an upstanding rim 423 at its forward end and a second upstanding rim 424 (provided with a drip edge 425) at its rearward end;-the distance between the rims 423 and 424 is such that the gland member 422 is held firmly in the wall or neck of the container.

In the operation of the device it is pulled rearwardly from a position in which the abutment 403 is in engagement with the rim 424 (whereby the device acts as a closure member for the container) to the position shown in Figure 4. In this position the combined air inlet and liquid outlet port 414, 406 is exposed to the atmosphere but with the valve 410 in the position shown in Figure 4,

the liquid is shut oif from communication with the liquid outlet port and also the air outlet port 408 is closed by the valve member 426.

On pulling the knob 421 thevalve 410 is moved to the position shown in Figure 5 whereby the liquid outlet port is partly opened and the air outlet port is also opened. Air can now passthrough the rearward end of the combined port 406, 414 into the air reservoir 405 and passes through the air outlet port 408 into the remainder of the body part'of the device and flows along the upper surface to escape through the hole 429. The liquid flows from the container through the open end 428 of the tube 401 and escapes through the uncovered portion of the combined port 406, 414. By controlling the extent of movement of the valve 410 the rapidity of flow of the liquid can be controlled from a very slow trickle to a rapid flow. The flow can be instantaneously cut off by returning the valve 410 to the position shown in Figure 4, in which position, of course, boththe flow of liquid from the container and of air into the container is shut off.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the device consists of two coaxial metal tubes 630 and 631 sealed together at their ends to define an air chamber therebetween. Outer tube 631 is expanded at 602 and 603 to provide a pair of radial abutments. The end of the tube is provided with a valve-disc 610 (biased by a spring 620) formed at its periphery to seat against the ends of the tube 630 and 631 and is operable by a button 621. An air inlet port is formed through the outer tube at 606 while a liquid outlet port, arranged coaxially with the air inlet port, is formed through the inner tube at 614. An air outlet port is provided at 608. This device can be employed with any desired form of fluidtight gland which allows it to reciprocate between abutments 602 and 603. When the tube is pulled rearwardly so that air inlet port 606 is in communication with the atmosphere, a continuous stream of liquid can be obtained on pressing button 621. Air finding its way in through air inlet port 606 passes through the space between the tubes and out through air outlet port 608. With the tube pushed forwardly into the container, so that air inlet port 606 is out of communication with the atmosphere, it is possible to fill the tube by pressing button 621 and then to deliver the liquid from the tube by releasing button 621 and pulling the tube outwardly. This device is not as satisfactory in operation as that shown in Figures 1 to 3 since with the tube pushed forwardly and the valve 610 opened, some liquid can find its way into the space between the tubes to be delivered with the liquid contained in the interior of the device.

A device as provided in accordance with the present invention is of great value for dispensing, for example, liquid detergents which are often distributed in unwieldly cans or drums. By enabling the detergents to be dispensed in measured quantities, the use of such a device tends to eliminate guess-work and consequent expense.

As will be appreciated, various departures may be made from the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A device forwithdrawing a liquid from a container which device comprises a tubular body part adapted to be moved in reciprocal motion forwardly and rearwardly through a sealing member in an orifice formed in the container, abutments spaced apart along the length of the body part for defining limits for said reciprocal motion, a liquid inlet port to said body part, a liquid outlet port formed through the longitudinal wall of said body part, a manually-operable valve associated with a liquid port, an air reservoir located within and partitioned olf from the remainder of said body part, an air inlet port formed through the longitudinal wall of said body part and communicating with said air reservoir and an air outlet port leading from the air reservoir to communicate with the exterior of the body part via the remainder of the body part, the air inlet port and the liquid outlet port being positioned forwardly of one of the abutments, the liquid inlet port being positioned forwardly of the liquid outlet port, the air outlet port being positioned to lie, when the device is oriented horizontally with the liquid outlet port directed downwardly, above the level of the liquid outlet port.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said manually-operable valve is associated with said liquid inlet port;

3. A device according to' claim 2 wherein the crosssectional area of the air outlet port is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the air inlet port and is smaller than the cross-sectional area, taken perpendicularly to the direction of air flow, of the air reservoir.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the air outlet port communicates with the exterior of the device through the valved liquid inlet port.

5. A device according to claim 2 wherein the tubular body part is provided with a sleeve having a close sliding fit thereover and through which the body part is adapted to move in said reciprocal motion and being of suflicient length to cover the air inlet port and the liquid outlet port when its rear end contacts said one of the abutments, but of insufficient length to cover them at all positions on the reciprocal motion of the body part, and the tubular body part is further provided with at least one additional liquid inlet port so positioned as to be uncovered by the sleeve only when the liquid outlet port and the air inlet port are both covered thereby.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the crosssectional area of the air outlet port is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the air inlet port and is smaller than the cross-sectional area, taken perpendicularly to the direction of air flow, of the air reservoir.

7. A device according to claim 1 wherein said manually-operable valve is associated with the liquid outlet port.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the crosssectional area of the air outlet port is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the air inlet port and is smaller than the cross-sectional area, taken perpendicularly to the direction of air flow, of the air reservoir.

9. A device according to claim 8 wherein the liquid outlet and air inlet ports are constituted by a single opening formed, towards the rearward end of the tubular body part, in the side wall of the tubular body part.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein said manually operable valve is constituted by a piston, disposed within said tubular body part, whose rearward surface defines the forward limit of the air reservoir which piston is formed with an orifice therein constituting the air outlet port.

11. A device according to claim 10 wherein a valve member is disposed within said tubular body part to co-operate with the orifice in said piston to close the air outlet port when the liquid outlet port is closed by said piston.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,233,791 Kaiser July 17, 1917 1,735,390 Henderson Nov. 12, 1929 2,703,048 Duval et al May 10, 1955 

